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list of common limits (Feature)

Following is a list of common limits used in elementary calculus:

  • For any real numbers $a$ and $c$ , $\ds \lim_{x\to a} c=c$ .
  • For any real numbers $a$ and $n$ , $\ds \lim_{x\to a} x^n = a^n$ (proven here for $n$ a positive integer)
  • $\ds \lim_{x\to 0} \frac{\sin{x}}{x}=1$ (proven here)
  • $\ds \lim_{x\to 0} \frac{1-\cos{x}}{x}=0$ (proven here)
  • $\ds \lim_{x\to 0} \frac{\arcsin{x}}{x}=1$ (proven here)
  • $\ds \lim_{x\to 0} \frac{e^x-1}{x}=1$ (proven here)
  • For $a>0$ , $\ds \lim_{x\to 0} \frac{a^x-1}{x}=\ln a$ (proven here).
  • For $b>1$ and $a$ any real number, $\ds \lim_{x\to\infty}\frac{x^a}{b^x} = 0$ (proven here).
  • $\ds \lim_{x\to 0^+} x^x = 1$ (proven here)
  • $\ds \lim_{x\to 0^+} x\ln{x} = 0$ (proven here)
  • $\ds \lim_{x\to\infty} \frac{\ln{x}}{x} = 0$ (proven here)
  • $\ds \lim_{x\to\infty} x^\frac{1}{x} = 1$ (proven here)
  • $\ds \lim_{x\to\pm\infty}\left(1+\frac{1}{x}\right)^x = e$
  • $\ds \lim_{x\to 0}\left(1+x\right)^\frac{1}{x} = e$
  • $\ds \lim_{x\to 0}(1+\sin{x})^\frac{1}{x} = e$ (power of $e$ , l'Hôpital's rule)
  • $\ds \lim_{x\to\infty}(x-\sqrt{x^2-a^2}) = 0$ (proven here)
  • For $a>0$ and $n$ a positive integer, $\ds \lim_{x\to a} \frac{x-a}{x^n-a^n}= \frac{1}{na^{n-1}}$ .
  • $\ds \lim_{x\to 0} \frac{\tan x-\sin x}{x^3}= \frac{1}{2}$ (by l'Hôpital's rule)
  • For $q > 0$ , $\ds \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{(\log x)^p}{x^q} = 0$
  • $\ds \tan\left(x+\frac{\pi}{2}\right)=\lim_{\xi\to\frac{\pi}{2}}\frac{\tan x+\tan\xi}{1-\tan x\tan\xi}= \lim_{\xi\to\frac{\pi}{2}}\frac{\sec^2\xi}{-\tan x\sec^2\xi}=-\cot x$ (by l'Hôpital's rule)
    That is, $\tan x\tan(x+\frac{\pi}{2})=-1$ , which indicates orthogonality of the slopes represented by those functions.
  • For $a$ real or complex, $\ds \lim_{n\to\infty} n(\sqrt[n]{a}-1)=\log{a}$ .

Feel free to add! Also, if the limit you decide to add is proven somewhere on PlanetMath, please provide a link. Thanks.

Bibliography

1
Catherine Roberts & Ray McLenaghan, ``Continuous Mathematics'' in Standard Mathematical Tables and Formulae ed. Daniel Zwillinger. Boca Raton: CRC Press (1996): 333, 5.1 Differential Calculus




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See Also: limit rules of functions, improper limits, limit examples

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Cross-references: PlanetMath, complex, functions, slopes, orthogonality, power, integer, positive, real numbers, Calculus

This is version 19 of list of common limits, born on 2007-12-06, modified 2008-05-15.
Object id is 10107, canonical name is ListOfCommonLimits.
Accessed 3877 times total.

Classification:
AMS MSC26-00 (Real functions :: General reference works )
 26A03 (Real functions :: Functions of one variable :: Foundations: limits and generalizations, elementary topology of the line)
 26A06 (Real functions :: Functions of one variable :: One-variable calculus)

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Excellent entry by CompositeFan on 2007-12-07 11:41:48
This is an excellent entry! Though it might not be complete (even if we take "common" to mean "quintessential"), already it shows that calculus can be about actual numbers people know and care about, like 1/2 and pi.
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